ياO مُشرِعَone who levels الرُمحِthe spear فيin تَثبيتِsecuring مَملَكَةٍa kingdom
يا مُشرِعَ الرُمحِ في تَثبيتِ مَملَكَةٍ
خَيرٌbetter مِنَthan المارِنِthe supple spear الخَطِيِّfrom al-Khatt مِسباحُa rosary
خَيرٌ مِنَ المارِنِ الخَطِيِّ مِسباحُ
O you who level the spear to secure a kingdom,
O you who plants the spear to establish a kingdom
a rosary is better than the supple Khatt spear.
Better than the negligent Christian ringing his bell
يَزيدُincreases لَيلُكَyour night إِظلاماًdarkness إِلىon top of ظُلَمٍlayers of darkness
يَزيدُ لَيلُكَ إِظلاماً إِلى ظُلَمٍ
فَماso there is no لَهُfor it آخِرَat the end of الأَيّامِthe days إِصباحُdawn
فَما لَهُ آخِرَ الأَيّامِ إِصباحُ
Your night grows darker, darkness upon darkness,
Your night grows darker into deeper darkness
so it has no dawn at the end of days.
What will be its end but daybreak
لاdoes not يَعتِمُlinger الجَنحُnight's gloom فيin مَثوىthe dwelling of أَخيa man of نُسُكٍdevotion
لا يَعتِمُ الجَنحُ في مَثوى أَخي نُسُكٍ
وَكُلَّماand whenever قالَhe says شَيئاًanything فَهُوَthen he is مِصباحُa lamp
وَكُلَّما قالَ شَيئاً فَهُوَ مِصباحُ
Night's gloom does not linger in a devout man's dwelling,
No wings flap in my brother's abode of devotion
and whenever he says anything, he is a lamp.
Whatever he says is illumination itself
أَموالُناour wealth فيin تُقاناour piety لاno رُؤوسَprincipal sums لَهاfor it
أَموالُنا في تُقانا لا رُؤوسَ لَها
فَكَيفَhow, then تُؤمَلُcan be hoped for عِندَwith اللَهِGod أَرباحُprofits
فَكَيفَ تُؤمَلُ عِندَ اللَهِ أَرباحُ
Our wealth in piety has no principal;
Our possessions through greed have no limit
how, then, can profits be hoped for with God?
How then can profits with God be hoped for
وَنَحنُand we فيin البَحرِthe sea ماnot نَجَّتhave rescued سَفائِنُهُits ships
وَنَحنُ في البَحرِ ما نَجَّت سَفائِنُهُ
وَكَمand how many تُقَطِّعَhave perished دونَshort of العِبَرthe shore سُبّاحُswimmers
وَكَم تُقَطِّعَ دونَ العِبَر سُبّاحُ
And we are in the sea; its ships have saved no one,
We are in the sea yet its ships did not rescue us
and how many swimmers have perished short of the shore!
How the swimmer cuts apart lessons without heeding
وَسَوفَand shall نُنسىwe be forgotten فَنُمسيso we become عِندَin the eyes of عارِفِناone who knows us
وَسَوفَ نُنسى فَنُمسي عِندَ عارِفِنا
وَماand no لَناof us فيin أَقاصيthe furthest reaches of الوَهمِimagination أَشباحُphantoms
وَما لَنا في أَقاصي الوَهمِ أَشباحُ
And we shall be forgotten; then, to those who knew us,
We will be forgotten and become ghosts
no phantoms of us will remain in imagination's furthest reaches.
In the farthest reaches of imagination
تَغَيَّرَhas changed الدَهرُtime حَتّىso much that لَوif شَحاopened its jaws أَسَدٌa lion
تَغَيَّرَ الدَهرُ حَتّى لَو شَحا أَسَدٌ
لَقيلَit would surely be said كَشَّchattered خِلالَamid القَومِthe people رُبّاحُa baboon
لَقيلَ كَشَّ خِلالَ القَومِ رُبّاحُ
Time has so changed that, were a lion to open its jaws,
Time has changed so that if a lion starves
they would surely say, 'A baboon chattered among the people.'
It is said jackals prowl amidst the people
لَيثُa lion النِزالِin combat وَلَكِنand yet فيin مَنازِلِهِhis dwellings
لَيثُ النِزالِ وَلَكِن في مَنازِلِهِ
كَلبٌa dog عَلىover فَضَلاتِscraps of الزادِthe provisions نَبّاحُbarking incessantly
كَلبٌ عَلى فَضَلاتِ الزادِ نَبّاحُ
A lion in combat, yet in his own dwellings
A lion in fights yet in his dwellings
a dog barking over scraps of food.
A dog feeding on the remnants of provisions
تَجَرَّعَswallowed المَوتَdeath نَحّارٌa frequent slaughterer لِأَينَقِهِof his she-camels
تَجَرَّعَ المَوتَ نَحّارٌ لِأَينَقِهِ
إِذاwhen شَتاhe entered winter وَلِفارِand of the pods المِسكِmusk ذَبّاحُa frequent slitter
إِذا شَتا وَلِفارِ المِسكِ ذَبّاحُ
He swallowed death—a slaughterer of his she-camels
A carpenter drinks death due to his art
in winter, and a slitter of musk-pods.
Just as the musk deer's slaughterer for its scent
يَجودُhe gives generously بِالتِبرِwith gold dust إِنif أَصحابُهُhis companions بَخِلواare miserly
يَجودُ بِالتِبرِ إِن أَصحابُهُ بَخِلوا
وَيكتُمُand he conceals السِرَّthe secret إِنif خُزّانُهُits keepers باحواdivulge
وَيكتُمُ السِرَّ إِن خُزّانُهُ باحوا
He gives gold dust freely if his companions are miserly,
He gives away gold if his friends are miserly
and keeps the secret if its keepers divulge it.
And hides secrets if his confidants divulge them
Claude 2 is inferred from the historical translator configuration. The original record does not identify its model.